This Cucumber Salsa recipe is a cool and refreshing take on traditional salsa. It's perfectly crunchy, with a bit of heat from the jalapenos, and would pair wonderfully with tacos, on nachos and grilled meats, or as a dip.
And the best part is that it all comes together in just 5 minutes! This is sure to be a family favorite.
![Top view photo of cucumber salsa in a clear class bowl with sliced limes and jalapenos around the bowl.](https://www.fourscoreliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cucumber-Salsa-1.2-683x1024.jpg)
For another refreshing recipe, give our pineapple salad a try.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick and Easy - Easily thrown together for a party or as a dip for movie-night. All you have to do is chop the ingredients and mix them in a bowl. For a quick dinner idea, top Instant Pot Salmon with Cucumber Salsa, and dinner is on the table in just 20 minutes.
- Fresh Ingredients - This recipe uses fresh ingredients like cucumber, tomatoes, and cilantro. It's delightfully refreshing and will light up your palate.
- Gets Better As It Sits - Once everything is mixed together, give it a chance to sit to allow the flavors to distribute evenly. This ensures each bite packs a punch.
- So Versatile - This salsa can stand alone as a delicious appetizer, or can be used as a condiment for tacos, grilled salmon, or on top of nachos. Anywhere you use salsa, it's perfect. We love it with this Keto Enchiladas recipe.
- Easily Double or Tripled - For larger gatherings, this recipe can be doubled or tripled and stored in the refrigerator until it's time to party.
Key ingedients
Cucumber - Crunchy and refreshing, plus helps to cool the jalapeños a bit. You can use any type of cucumber you like, but if your cucumber has large seeds, it's best to remove them as they have a bitter taste.
Tomatoes - This recipe uses Roma tomatoes because they have less seeds, but any tomato will work. Bell peppers are a great substitute for tomatoes and add additional crunchiness to the dish, if needed.
Red Onion - Red onion adds a bit of heat to this dish. Chop them fine so they are evenly distributed.
Jalapeño Peppers - When working with jalapeño peppers it's always best to wear gloves. The seeds are removed to bring down the level of heat, but feel free to save them and add to the dish if you are looking for more spiciness. If you like Jalapenos, try our Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers recipe.
Cilantro - Can you really have salsa without cilantro? Cilantro brings a lemon and peppery flavor profile to the salsa that is as traditional as you can get.
Lime Juice - Lime juice adds the perfect amount of acidity to this salsa, but lemon juice can also be substituted if needed.
Salt - Salt is one of those ingredients that brings all the flavors together and allows them to really shine. This recipe uses ½ teaspoon, but you can always add more as you taste.
If you have any questions about this recipe, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you.
Step by step instructions
Place all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix until everything is combined.
Chill for 2 hours, to allow the flavors to combine.
Serve cold on tacos, or with chips, or anything else you might like.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Best tips
You can use fresh or bottled lime juice (though fresh lime juice is always best).
You can use any type of cucumber you like. If the cucumber has large seeds in the center, we suggest removing them before dicing the cucumber.
The longer this cucumber salsa chills, the more the flavors will develop.
Substitutions
Lemon juice - If you don't have a lime, use lemon instead.
Bell peppers - You can omit the tomatoes and add ¼-1/2 cup of finely chopped bell pepper, to add more of a crunch.
Serrano pepper - If you like more heat, use a serrano instead of a jalapeno. To tone down the heat you can use a poblano pepper.
Some people like cumin in their salsa. You can add ¼ teaspoon, if you like.
Storage instructions
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This recipe cannot be frozen.
Serving suggestions
This salsa is so versatile, it truly goes with anything.
More quick and easy recipes
Sometimes quick and easy is all you can manage. But that doesn't mean you can't still have big and bold flavor. We've rounded up a few more simple recipes for you that can be enjoyed on their own or paired with a main course.
We hope you love this recipe as much as we did! Please help us out by leaving a quick review and star ★ rating below.
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📖 Recipe
Cucumber Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 cups finely diced peeled cucumber
- ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes we used Roma tomatoes, for less seeds
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers stem and seeds removed
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 3 tablespoons lime juice juice from one large lime
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix until everything is combined.
- Chill for 2 hours, to allow the flavors to combine.
- Serve cold on tacos, or with chips, or anything else you might like.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- You can use fresh or bottled lime juice.
- You can use any type of cucumber you like. If the cucumber has large seeds in the center, we suggest removing them before dicing the cucumber.
- The longer this cucumber salsa chills, the more the flavors will develop.
- You can omit the tomatoes and add ¼-1/2 cup of finely chopped bell pepper, to add more of a crunch.
- You can use lemon juice in place of lime juice.
- Some people like cumin in their salsa. You can add ¼ teaspoon, if you like.
Kathy Harter
I added some cumin and used garlic salt! Delicious!
Dane & Becky
Hi Kathy,
Those are some great additions. Thanks for taking the time to let us know.
Dane & Becky